Stallion Confidential: Uncensored Experience

Ex-Navy Seal Opens Up About Hell Week, Losing Teammates & Transitioning To Civilian | Zack Ferguson

• AJ

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🎙️ In this episode, a former U.S. Navy SEAL opens up about the mission, the pain, and the price.

From his early days of discipline and chaos to the moment 9/11 changed everything, Zack shares how that day became his turning point — a call to serve and defend his country against violent extremism.
He dives deep into the reality behind military life: the mindset, the loss, and the brotherhood forged in fire.

After years of combat, his biggest battle began after leaving the SEALs — adjusting to civilian life, rediscovering purpose, and rebuilding his identity. Now, Zack’s mission is different: to train, mentor, and pass on the mental toughness that built him.

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This is Stallion Confidential. Real talk. No filters. No noise. Just truth. 

SPEAKER_01

Okay. We ready? Well, they say curiosity kills the cat. What if curiosity is the only thing that's keeping you alive?

SPEAKER_00

Islamic Islamic extremists, like, how are you? Like, why did you take a plane and drive it into the World Trade Center? No one's attacking you. You just drove and killed 3,000 people. And yourself by driving like kamikaze pilot in there. So that's a good question, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

This sends a shiver down my spine when I say this, but I literally sat in front of a man who saw the face of death. And hell.

SPEAKER_00

You wake up on Sunday morning, you're up till Friday, so five and a half days, and you're getting served tortured, boats on heads, logs, log BD, and you're just getting fucked with mentally, physically, and you just see guys ring out like you're hearing it all week long.

SPEAKER_01

9-11 wasn't just a piece of history for was a deeply ingrained memory.

SPEAKER_00

Like defending ourselves, or we're killing bad guys that deserve not to be on planet Earth because they're they're blowing up with the suicide that's like their own family, their own kids, and or like like someone like 9-11 attacks, and like we're just going after people who like did harm to our country and our people. Um they're more of like putting roadside bombs, blowing people up for fun, you know.

SPEAKER_01

He's seeing people drilling holes in brains.

SPEAKER_00

Oh man. I've been on a feedback, no one's ever asked me this. My mom, I texted her at 2 o'clock in the morning saying, I want to join the Navy.

SPEAKER_01

And also his own house burned in front of his eyes while his mother and his sister are trapped inside the house.

SPEAKER_00

Went to San Diego to the Padres game, and my neighbor FaceTimes me, which he's just never done. And I like look at my phone and I'm like, I just said fuck. And I click yes, and my house is engulfed in flames. Yeah, my dad is up, uh was inside during it.

SPEAKER_01

There's an end here. It was burned by his own father. And yet he was calm, collected, stomach, and sadness didn't even touch him, but it did. It definitely did. It proved he had a heart. I'm sure he dealt with it. It's funny the way he described it. He he says something along the lines of like, oh, we have a lot of trauma. We just put it up here, somewhere here, in the attic to deal with it later on in life.

SPEAKER_00

That's stuff like after I got out of the military, actually. And that was like hard to like take all the boxes down and like deal with my sadness and like grieving. And it was like years in the maze, it was like you sit in there for years. So that's how I dealt with it. Most team guys deal with it that way too.

SPEAKER_01

Well hate to break it to you. Well, if you have for comfort, you should leave. If you have for entertainment, leave now. If you have some motivation. Uh uh. Ain't gonna cut it. No. But if you are here for some raw and filtered truth, buckle up, go grab some popcorn, have a drink because you don't want to miss a single second of what's about to come your way. Well, I call it confidential conversations. Is that a wrap? I don't know if people are gonna be able to take this one, but I guess we'll find out. Alright, guys, welcome to today's pod, and today's guest will blow your minds, guys. Freakingly amazing. I don't know how I landed this, but today's guest name is Zach Ferguson, a former US Navy SEAL from SEAL Team 7, where he served as a leader, sniper, pointman, point man, combatives, instructor, and weapons ordinance specialist. He's deployed across Iraq, Yemen, Africa, and the UAE, leading and training at the highest level in combat operations. Zach, welcome to the pod.

SPEAKER_00

AJ, thanks for having me on. Really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01

Thanks for coming by. So we'd love to know that as an ex-Navy SEAL, what can you carry on an everyday basis to protect yourself and your family?

SPEAKER_00

Well, I can show you, but if it's not allowed here, uh I carry a crombit. Um it's a knife that you put in your you put your finger in a little ring.

SPEAKER_01

You can just point out if you if you have it.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, right here. And you just whip it out of your pants, and then you got your self-defense tool here, and then man's ready, man's combat ready. I'm ready. I'd always and I carry Glock 19 in my appendix here. So those are the two things I carry every day.

SPEAKER_01

Can you carry something more aggressive? Are you allowed to?

SPEAKER_00

Um, like a bigger gun? Right. No, I mean it needs to be a pistol that's concealable. Um, anything bigger than like a Glock 19 from me, my hands, it's gonna be too bulky or printing off my shirt too much. Right, right.

SPEAKER_01

And is this something you can carry now that would surprise people, or that's about it?

SPEAKER_00

Um, maybe these. I'm just kidding.

SPEAKER_01

Good old, good old. What's a piece of gear you wish you had on deployment?

SPEAKER_00

Oh man. That's a really good question. Um I would say a weight room that's like you could put in a box and take it anywhere you go. Because I'm we're always lifting weights. Can't always bring weights with us, so we're just doing push-ups, pull-ups. So a little box with some dumbbells and a barbell would be great.

SPEAKER_01

Tell tell tell us more about yourself. Like, what made you want to go into Navy SEAL? Like, what was that switch in your brain that you're like, I know it's gonna be life or death, but I'm gonna still do it.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, that was a good question. So I never had any interest in the military. I've always like praised um American warfighters to protect our country. Um, so it wasn't until Boston bombings happened, my dad uh finished the marathon, and there's a picture of him crossing with this timestamp, and I see that every day growing up. And then I'm watching in 2013 with them sitting on a couch, and the terrorists blow up the little kids and the people at the finish line. Right. And that's what was like my calling, it was like go protect your loved ones. And where were you at this point? I was 20 years old living with my parents in your blend, Orange County, and then I was trying to be an MMA fighter. I wasn't an MMA fighter, but I was trying to go pro into the UFC. Oh wow and then uh my whole life changed from that. Wow.

SPEAKER_01

And how was your experience? Like what were the steps you took to get into that?

SPEAKER_00

To get into the SEAL team, so you you go to recruiter's office, they usually try to like finagle you with like do this job, this job, and I just went in there. I'm like, I'm Zach. It's nice to meet you. I don't want to do anything but be a SEAL, so I don't want to hear you pitch nothing respectfully. And he's like, Okay. He was a little thrown off by like my assertiveness. Right. And so you have to do the PSD test, physical standard test, which is just push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, run, and you have to get like a high score because you're peting with everybody trying to do the same job.

SPEAKER_01

Is there a minimum?

SPEAKER_00

There's a minimum, but you're not gonna get a contract with the minimum.

SPEAKER_01

Like how much how many did you do?

SPEAKER_00

It was like the swim a 50 or a 500 meter swim, seven minutes, 50 seconds, push-ups in two minutes, 102, um, pull-ups, like 22, and then um, let's see, sit-ups was like 80, and then a mount mount half run was like 950 for me. So it took me about a year to like get those test scores to where they needed to be.

SPEAKER_01

So you trained for that? Like, so you went in and then you set a goal, and then you went back and did all of that, or were you already in shape because you told me? Like you just said right now, like MMA and all of that.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so I was already in shape. I didn't know how to swim, like I knew how to like to tread water and not drown. But um, it'll be that'll be funny in a second. Um, but I had to like learn how to do the combat side stroke, which is like the SEAL swim. That took me a minute to get. Yeah. Wow.

SPEAKER_01

I mean, I'd love to know, like where did you grow up and what was that environment like?

SPEAKER_00

So I grew up in Orange County, California. My parents are from Charlestown and Cambridge, Massachusetts. Uh they moved here in the 80s. Um, but my I was born and raised my whole life in Orange County. Great, great uh childhood growing up. My dad was my baseball coach, my mom, just a rock star family, and great loving brother and sisters. I have twin sisters and older brother. Couldn't ask for a better childhood.

SPEAKER_01

Would you say Orange County has changed since the time you were a child?

SPEAKER_00

It doesn't seem that way because uh I went to the teams, so San Diego, I was gone for like eight years, and then I came back and it was like, oh, this is my hometown. Not much has changed. Awesome. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And then how many years did you serve in the military?

SPEAKER_00

I served for six years.

SPEAKER_01

Oh wow. So is there a unit before that you need to join and then you go to Navy SEAL, or it's just like straight recruitment?

SPEAKER_00

You used to have to like get a normal job in the Navy and then you'll get a contract to go, but now they have a spec war contract, which means I'm signing a guaranteed spot at BUDS training, which is basic underwater demolition SEAL training. So before I even went to boot camp, I knew I was gonna go to straight to BUDS after boot camp. I see. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Were you like disciplined growing up?

SPEAKER_00

I was very disciplined, I was hard on myself. Um, my dad taught me a lot of discipline and my mom. Um, just wake up like two-day workouts, no matter what. Um, don't feel sorry for yourself, earn every like dollar you make. Um, I wasn't being whipped or nothing, but um very damn much discipline.

SPEAKER_01

And how did you get into MMA in jiu-jitsu at such a young age?

SPEAKER_00

Um, so I've always been fascinated with warrior culture, like Spartans, gladiators, freaking samurai, anyone who's like expert elite at their craft uh at protecting others. That was my whole mission set was to protect others. That's why I'm a fighter. That's why I wanted to join the t SEAL teams to protect my country. Right.

SPEAKER_01

And what what is the message you would give to young people watching this? Like, should they go in it? If not, why? If if yes, then why?

SPEAKER_00

Uh and the SEAL team specifically? If uh if I try to convince them not to go, and and if they're convinced they shouldn't, then they shouldn't go. Because everyone in under the blues, like under the blue sky is gonna try to tell you you're not good enough for this. What's your background? Like, you don't belong here, dude. And don't listen to anyone. Like, if you want this goal, take it to the death, and you'll you'll make it. That's it.

SPEAKER_01

And do you remember your first fight?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, wow. I haven't even asked that question. Oh, that's funny. Yeah, I just had a flashback in my head. I was uh like fourth grade playing Can I Cuss on this? Smear the queer, which for little listeners, if you have a soccer ball or the football, like you're gonna get mauled by anybody who doesn't. So if you have the ball, you're gonna get like 20 people tackling you. And we were doing that on the playground, and then this dude was like kicking with his feet, and I was like, dude, stop, and I pushed him, and then he punched me, and I punched him, and then I got suspended in like fourth grade.

SPEAKER_01

I call him a bad name too, but you were a fighter since you were a kid though.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Is it anger issues, or you just love that competitive spirit? Like you just love being competitive.

SPEAKER_00

I love not taking shit from no one. I love for protecting protecting my circle and innocent people who can't defend themselves. That's why I like fighting. Were you ever bullied as a kid? I was bullied, but I took no I didn't take any shit, so the bullies quickly turn to okay, he's like he's small, but he's down to scrap, so maybe I should pick on someone else. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Like, what did competition uh in a fight or training uh like what did the competition that you went in if MMA presumably, what did that teach you?

SPEAKER_00

It taught me it humbled me because I was training with Mark Munoz Chill Sonin, UFC fighters, like grown men when I was 17 years old.

SPEAKER_01

And what year is this?

SPEAKER_00

I was uh let's see 2011. So I was 17, yeah, and they were like all in their UFC Prime. I'm just getting whooped, like stupid whooped.

SPEAKER_01

And sparring sessions.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, sparring sessions, just regular training. It taught me discipline, taught me to eat good, like not partying, not that I was partying at the time. Um, just staying on track to accomplish my goals and to just have a savage like warrior mindset. But I wasn't, I'm like, I'm not an angry person, so it's just like I just love to do this. I love to have combat skills like with and without guns.

SPEAKER_01

So I'm just trying to think like people either born with that, some of them like some of someone like you, or some of us, like let's say if I did boxing and I went in amateur, I had to learn and I had to develop that kind of fierce, like fighter, like I had to I had like rage, but to channel that rage into something purposeful, like that. I'd love to know what was your parents' reaction when you decided to enlist into Navy.

SPEAKER_00

Oh man. I've been on a fee podcast, no one's ever asked me this. My mom, I texted her at two o'clock in the morning saying, I want to join the Navy. And she responds the next morning. She's like, Oh my gosh, you could go on a boat and travel the world. And I'm like, Yeah, totally. So I like I didn't lie to her, but I didn't like was fully transparent. Uh I was like, just don't Google what butts training is. She's like, okay. I'm sure she did, but uh, they were always supportive. They just didn't know much about it.

SPEAKER_01

Right. So just they just went in it knowing everything will be like hopefully everything's fine on the other side.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, until like we'll get into it in a second, but um once they did like research it and like there was some stuff on the news, they were like probably scared shitless. Yeah. But they're happy that I'm doing their son's doing what he loves, so very supportive.

SPEAKER_01

Talking about like enlistment and your time in Navy SEAL, I'd love to know like what deployment or mission still plays in your head like a movie.

SPEAKER_00

Um, good question. I'd say my last deployment in Yemen, um, not that anything happened there that's like stuck in my mind. It's more of like I had to leave early to attend to family stuff, which it we get it to in a bit. Um, so I was battling like regret and did I make the right decision. Should I still be there? Like all these different emotions in my head.

SPEAKER_01

Was it going to Yemen or was it being in Navy SEAL? Like what regret are you talking about?

SPEAKER_00

Um in deployment in Yemen.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Why why is that?

SPEAKER_00

I was point man, um lead sniper, so I had a big responsibility. Point man, I'm leading my guys on foot patrol or vehicle patrol, like looking at ISR to make sure the routes are clear with no bombs. And I had to give that spot to the number two point man and leave early. So I was thinking like it was difficult to be like if something happened and I left and someone died, that's on me. That's m like my blood in my hands. So that took me a while to like like god, nothing happened, but that was difficult.

SPEAKER_01

There was a movie from Bradley Martin. I don't know if you've seen that. He was a point in sniper too. And he were you like he was in a position in a movie where he had his finger on the trigger and it was a child, and he was about to go and run and pick up an AK-47. And he's like, Don't do it, don't do it, don't do it, and he's just like his his hands are shivering while he's about to shoot that little twelve-year-old boy. Pick the gun, he had to press the trigger. Has there ever been a moment like that in your life?

SPEAKER_00

Oh, Bradley Cooper?

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Oh Bradley Cooper in American Sniper movie. Yeah. Uh luckily no. Thank God, yeah. I can only imagine like he's doing his job and like how hard that is and to protect your boys, it's like what other choice do you have? As much as it like that sucks because the kid is just indoctrined into you know, doing bad things. Because the kid he doesn't know what he's doing. Very multiple at that age.

SPEAKER_01

And what did what do they teach you about like minors who uh have been indoctrinated to go out and I guess defend themselves and defend their families what what they're told as a young age, they've been programmed a certain way. What do they train you in Navy SEAL on on like stuff like that?

SPEAKER_00

I think the difference is that they're attacking with malicious intent. Right. Where we are like defending ourselves or we're killing bad guys that deserve not to be on planet Earth because they're they are blowing up with the suicide vest, like their own family, their own kids, and or like s like someone like 9-11 attacks, and like we're just going after people who like did harm to our country and our people. Um they're more of like putting roadside bombs on like roads. It's not necessarily defending, but they're just blowing people up for fun, you know.

SPEAKER_01

How how how can you say like for fun though? I'm actually curious.

SPEAKER_00

So not for fun, I misspoke. I'm saying like um they hate Americans, right? So they're putting roadside bombs, like knowing like we're driving this route, and like who are they defending? Like, we're not going to your ass house, we're going this way, and they're just putting roadside bombs.

SPEAKER_01

Why do they hate Americans? Like if you have to educate audience, like to give them like a like some overview in a nutshell.

SPEAKER_00

Just an Islamic Islamic extremist, like that's a good question. Ask one of them, because I'm like, how are you like why did you take a plane and drive it into the World Trade Center? No one's attacking you. You just drove and killed 3,000 people and yourself by driving like kamikaze pilot in there. So that's a good question, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

I'd love to know, like, because I'm sure like boys they talk shit, you know, they they get along because you you're taking your boy in war, and like now if he something happens to him, his blood's on your hands. I'm sure you guys bond, doing different activities, working out together, talking shit, you know, having fun, whatever. But I'd love to know, like, what do other people in Navy Sill think about these Islamic extremists?

SPEAKER_00

Um, so my number one job, like, well, right now on SEAL deployment, is I'm protecting you. You're my SEAL teammate. Um, my job is to protect you. Your life is more important than me. So, like, you have guys like Mikey Munsor who jumped on a grenade and say four of his teammates. Right. We're there to like protect our team. Right. Um, and we are witnessing like evil firsthand. Like people like shooting people in the streets or beheading someone, you know, so it's like, are they good people doing that? Maybe you should just take them to jail, or you're like raping your own family members. That's wrong in every way, shape, and form.

SPEAKER_01

And that happens.

SPEAKER_00

Well, that happens, yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01

Has it ever happened and you've witnessed that and while he's deployment? No.

SPEAKER_00

Luckily, no, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

What's the craziest story someone has told you in Navy SEAL about malicious activities like that?

SPEAKER_00

Um, I mean, in I think it was Ramadi when it was in the Chris Kyle movie, um, where they're like taking a drill and like drilling the guy's head while he's alive and like shaming him in front of everyone, you know. So it's just acts of terror and acts of like evil humans like doing terrible things to other people, or like rocking them to death with stones while they can't move. Or when ISIS was like going on a rampage and they were putting out those videos online of they were giving little kids like pistols, and they were tying up like innocent people to like chain to a wall, and they were doing room clearing, and they got shoot they were shooting guys that were tied up, you know, like these are like 12-year-old boys that don't know what they're doing, they're just being told to do this, and it's normal to them now.

SPEAKER_01

So sorry, sorry, that kind of sent shiver down my spine. Like, really? And did you ever get into psychological factor of it? Like, if I was if I was in that position, I'd I'd love to know what they're thinking. Like, why though? Like, what's the re what what are they sell what dream are they selling to these young miners who don't even know how to wipe their own shit? And they're telling them to go pick up AD4 AK 47s and all the weapons and go have and create violence. Like, have you did you ever question that?

SPEAKER_00

Um, I couldn't make sense of it. So, like, it's just an extra they're extremists, like their ideology is to do this, and they think it's they think it's normal, I think it's right. It's like their like Allah's purpose for them is to do these things. And I'm like, I don't understand it, nor will I ever. I think it's wrong. I think you could ask most people and they'd be like, That's wrong. You shouldn't do that. You shouldn't shoot an RPG at someone sitting on their knees and blowing their head off like You doing that? You know, if you're defending yourself, then by all means. But not like that. And then putting it online, like mocking people.

SPEAKER_01

So the reason Navy TL seam is deployed into these countries is because these countries have malicious intent for America and to protect your sovereignty, you guys go there and take care of the business. Or is there something more to that?

SPEAKER_00

No, I've you nailed it. Like um the San Bernardino shooting when I was in boot camp, it happened. Um at a party, um, Boston bombings, 9-11. It's like you keep going.

SPEAKER_01

Like and how do you guys get intel on what these guys are cooking behind the scenes?

SPEAKER_00

Um, you have intel guys, like you know, you have CIA gathering intel overseas and here. Um we have IT guys that are just basically like neuroscomputer guys who are really good at what they do, like pulling Wi-Fi or you know, getting intel on what are they talking about on the phone? Oh, okay, they're trying to attack, planet of attack.

SPEAKER_01

So awesome. Uh wow. Yeah, it's just um like I take I took myself in that in that like the war zone area. I'd love to know, was there a mission that changed your perspective or life's view on life or brotherhood?

SPEAKER_00

Um, not a mission I was on, but one that surely happened right after I got out. And Ingram and Chambers, so on the day of my birthday, January 11th, like a few months after I got out, they were doing a hook and climb on a Houthi rebel Dow ship. So from Iran, they're driving this boat with a bunch of ordnance on it, like explosives, taking it to Yemen, and then they're using it to kill innocent people. So they drive a boat at like midnight, they throw a ladder up and start climbing with big surf. One dude falls off in the water, and then without hesitation, his teammate jumps in after him and they both drown at sea. So when you talk about like brotherhood, and like when they say like your life's more important than mine, that's what I'm talking about. Is like guys will literally run in front of a gun for you without no hesitation, not even question. You know, that's a teammate, that's like brotherhood.

SPEAKER_01

And is it a training for that or not really?

SPEAKER_00

Bud's training. Yeah. You cause you go through Hell Week and you're just weeding out a bunch of guys and you're left with like these guys will do anything for you.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

You just said Hell Week. That rings a bell right in my brain. First person, when I hear that word, I think of David Goggins. The way he described about Hell Week, is it point on accurate, or is it something he missed out? Or like, would you like to tell your experience with the Hell Week? How how was it?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, it was hell. It was horrendous. It was the worst thing I've ever endured. It was um, you said psychology a second ago. It was the first time where I like in my mind I was like, wow, the human body and and brain are so resilient. It can go so far, like way past what we thought was possible. So you wake up on Sunday morning, you're up till Friday, so five and a half days, and you're getting surf tortured, boats on heads, logs, log PD, and you're just getting fucked with mentally, physically, and you just see guys ring out, like you're hearing it all week long, and you're left with the core dudes who like literally will like die. Plenty of guys died during Hell Week, and you like that's the guys who want to be here. Like, those are your brothers. Um, I still have like health issues from Hell Week, like traumatic brain injury, like gut and like uh gut issues in my bladder, not holding like urine and stuff. So it uh it fucked me up for probably a year, and it still affects me this day, but I took a lot away from when people are like, or when I'm like, I'm having a hard day, I'm like, no, I'm not. This is actually this is nice. Easy day.

SPEAKER_01

Like David Goggins mentions, he mentions all the time by saying, control your mind, you are the owner, this mind's a bitch, you know, just just own it, do your thing. Does it ever make you question yourself, is mine even real? Or is whatever we make it to be?

SPEAKER_00

Great question. I don't know if you're if you can forge it. I'm not sure if you're born with it, or if it's like, because you have guys from all different backgrounds, like literally like circus clowns to lawyers to like farm boys, and like you can't if you had like 50 guys in the room, you can't say who's gonna make it, who's not. It's impossible. Um it's just what we say is the why. Why are you here? And if your why is not unbreakably strong, you will leave. You will quit. And mine was like, I'm going to die or make it through, and that's it. I'm not worried about anything else. I put my whole life aside for this for my country and family to protect them. I don't give a fuck what happens to me. Like, I drowned three times in training, and I kept going back. Like, I kept staying in there like, quit, quit, pussy. I'm like, no. You have to kill me. That's it.

SPEAKER_01

Is there a point in Hell's Week that you can willfully just quit?

SPEAKER_00

Oh yeah, you quit anytime you want.

SPEAKER_01

Oh. Yeah. And how long does this go for?

SPEAKER_00

Hell weeks. So Bud's training is six months, and Hell Week's on the third week and first phase, the first uh the third week of the six months and first phase.

SPEAKER_01

Take take take me like walk walk me through all of the training, like about Hell's Week. I want to know everything. Like, if if let's say I know nothing, I'm just like my average viewer, and we want to learn more about it, like, how would you just explain and put put it for them simply as possible?

SPEAKER_00

Sure thing. Hell week. You wake up on Sunday morning at 6 a.m., they put you in a room and you're just sitting there with your emotions, thoughts, no TVs, you're just sitting there. You're already getting fucked with, but you don't even know it. You're waiting for Hell Week. It's all breakout to start where they come in with machine guns, like shooting blanks, and like throwing like RD Sim grenades, smoke, all sorts of just chaos. On you guys. Yes, on us. So we waited for like nine hours in this room, waiting, twilling your thumbs, like when is this gonna happen? And you already guys already ringing out.

SPEAKER_01

And that's the first day.

SPEAKER_00

This is the first like hour, this first like half day.

SPEAKER_01

Right, right.

SPEAKER_00

You're waiting, and then they come in with the machine guns, and you immediately hit the surf zone, and you're just wet, cold, sandy the entire time. Bear crawling, and I think we did surf torture first. It was like it felt like it was for five hours, and just linked the arms with your buddies. The cold water, there's a saying, cold water, it makes cowards of us all. And it's it's very true. Like, cold water, when you're cold, you don't want to do nothing but get warm and dry. When you're like hungry, you just want food. When you're drowning and underwater, you don't think about anything but I need oxygen. So when you're cold, like it's crazy hard to explain what tort surf torture is. It's like it's torture.

SPEAKER_01

Just for the reference, if you won't have to put a number on the temperature you guys was going through, what would it be?

SPEAKER_00

So we actually took uh um water temps like every time, and it was like it got down to like 53 degrees. And what?

SPEAKER_01

No 53 Fahrenheit, right? Fahrenheit. Yeah, so that's like like for the for international people, I think that's that's about like 25, minus negative 25 degrees Celsius, which is and you don't know how long you're gonna be in there.

SPEAKER_00

You don't have a watch. You're just it's two o'clock in the morning, and you're just sitting there, like when am we gonna get up? And you're just like, oh, it's probably pretty soon, and then it doesn't come, and you're like, and then your mind starts to fuck with you, like, why am I here? Should I why am I sitting in cold water in the Pacific Ocean in San Diego, suffering? Oh, I already know why, because I'm gonna die or make it through. Well, that thought's gone, you know.

SPEAKER_01

So basically, I I I think I might I might have gotten the gist of it. So it's basically for you to endure, torture yourself to the point now just you and your mind.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And now you're having one-on-one conversations. Otherwise, like right now you're comfortable. We're sitting in a leather chair, you know, talking beautifully, whatever. It's not you, you guys are not that intimate. Like you don't have that much control over it, and you're not, you can't expose your vulnerabilities to your mind and to yourself. But when you're being tortured, now all you have is your mind because your body's gone.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

You're you're like physically and mentally being abused, tortured, and it's just this constant dialogue between like you're talking to your own self, you're like, gosh, my shoulder hurts. I'm freezing cold. My ass, my ass is fucking freezing. Like, I just want to get out of here. And then the more you fucking talk to yourself, the worse it is. I'm just gonna sit there and just endure this. And if I die like being hypothermic, then fine. It's okay with me. If I make it through, great. If I die from this boat in my head, if my spine gets crushed, fine. I don't care what what happens is I'm making it or I'm dying. That was for me, there were two options. There wasn't any other thing. No girlfriend to go back to at the time. There wasn't a second job I had, I wasn't gonna do anything else. And I was like completely 100% okay with that.

SPEAKER_01

And so you had nothing to lose but everything to gain.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, and it was a very sick, like a sick like mental state to be in. And it's hard to ex to elaborate like where my mind was, um, but it's just like it's sure it's simple in my mind. Dying or making it. And I'm smiling because I'm like, that was it was that easy. Like, that was that simple. Not easy, simple. Yeah. Do you want an apple or orange? Very easy, very simple.

SPEAKER_01

Tell us something funny and ridiculous from your deployment.

SPEAKER_00

I have a I have a really funny one from Budge training. Can I share with that? Um, so surf torture in in San Diego, the Tijuana sewage runs off into where we're getting surf tortured. So we're getting surf tortured in shitwater. And I got VGE, which is like a gastral infection, and I lost. I went from like 165 pounds to 145 in like three days, just shitting, throwing up everywhere. And then they quarantined like guys who had Veg because it's it's brutal. And you know, with boats like David Gong, it's like everyone's a height line, so you're carrying eagle weight on that on your head. Right, right, right. But we had a guy like my best friends is six foot six. How tall are you, by the way? Right there. Six foot six. We had a guy who is funny, 4'11. Me. So like I couldn't carry the weight because everyone's in this quarantine boats, and I was like laughing. I'm like, I won't say his name, let's call him like Timmy. Timmy, I'm really sorry I can't help you. And he's like laughing on how like brutally, like, we're just quarantine. There's a bunch of like there's a midget and there's a fucking giant. And we literally laughed about it, and it helped us like get through to that. And all those guys made it through Hell Week, I think, because they find they found comedy and chaos.

unknown

Right.

SPEAKER_00

There's they found something to laugh about.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I think you it only come it only comes if you like sweat and shed blood together. That that's sort of like I'm sure you've seen the movie 300. Yeah, I love 300. So I I'm sure I'm I'm getting the same vibe from you, like what you went went through. That's that's awesome. What's a wild or dark story you've never shared publicly until now?

SPEAKER_00

Oh man. I love this these questions. Wild or dark story. I might have to come back to that one because I've just I'm in my open book and I think I've shared everything.

SPEAKER_01

You can take your time if you want to pause for a minute. Okay. That's up to you.

SPEAKER_00

Wild or dark story. Give you anything. Okay, this is a funny one from employment. It's like not that wild, but it's it's funny. Um on Yemen, there's a bunch of roosters and chickens that sent you our pets, and the rooster, we were on vampire hours, so we'd stay up till 4 a.m. and we'd go to bed at like 5 a.m. And the rooster would start cockle to the doing. And our chief like texts us on our work thread and he said, New guy or new guy, um, Timmy, if you don't kill this chicken in the next like two minutes, you guys are all gonna get beat. And I was like, Oh shit. So I like jumped out of bed, I ran over to him, and he's sitting there with a bow and arrow. He's a country boy, and we were like finding this rooster, and he draws back on it. I'll show you a video after it's funny, and then we shoot him, and the chicken air goes through it, and then he's like making a bunch of noises, and then it's silence after that. But it was so funny we had to like find this rooster, right? And he was like running from us, right? And he shot him with the bow and arrow because he was making so much damn noise we couldn't sleep.

SPEAKER_01

Well, I want to know what was the what you you chief, you said what is the what is a beating look like?

SPEAKER_00

The beating?

SPEAKER_01

Like he's like um Are you allowed to talk about that publicly?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I could I could dance, I could dance to it like around it. Right, right, right. Um whether it's like doing a a shit ton of burpees or maybe like they so serve torture you. Um or if you like literally like literally beating, like go in the fight gym and with the older guys, and you're gonna see what's up. Luckily, I was a fighter, so like I had to be the person once to kick a guy out of our platoon because he sucked badly, and so a guy decided go to the fight gym, and we just locked the doors, and just me and him, and then I'm like, you're out of the platoon, and then never saw him again.

SPEAKER_01

Interesting. I like that. I like the chivalry, like there's chivalry to this. So I like that. But now we'll move on to like some I would love to know about your experience in it, your brotherhood, like because I really want to tap more into it. What separates a great seal leader from a bad one?

SPEAKER_00

Communication, communication and understanding and not telling people to do all the time. It's more of like, hey guys, this is the mission. What do you guys think about how we can get it done? You're bringing them and you're also like father, you're a big brother of them into being a leader themselves. Um, a good leader is also a good listener, also a good follower. So it's not like I know everything, it's more of like communicating, gathering like five people's brains instead of just one. Maybe like you have a great idea that I'm not thinking about, and then you voice it, and then like, oh shit, that's a good idea. And you come together with this great plan by communicating. Like my best chief was like, he wasn't a screamer, like you do this, do this. He's more of like, hey guys, like this is the mission. What do you think on how to get it done? I like that idea. That's not a great idea. This is what I think, and you build this master plan together. Right. Yeah. So I think Jocko is so good, like he's communicating, like, and they don't like blabber on. What they're communicating, like what needs to be done, they say what they want to say and then they stop talking. It's the ones that are like continue to talk and then you lose guys, like guys are out to lunch in their head. It's like tell people what you want to say and then don't say anything. Or let them talk, let respond to you. You're having a conversation, you know.

SPEAKER_01

It's a more like stoic leader rather than just a yapa. Yeah. Like, okay, bro, just what to do, get on the point, right?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_01

What's your take on women in the military?

SPEAKER_00

Um, I love women in the military. I think they have incredible roles that they're fantastic at. They they can do things that men can't biologically, like give birth, and then men can just so superior physically. So they all have everyone has their roles. Um if we're asking about like girls in SEAL teams, no, I don't agree with it. Um for a few things, there's a reason why there's not one, because of training and the brotherhood and uh hazing, and they're not we're not gonna lower our standards. I think that like the rangers like lower their standards a little bit for a woman to get through, but our standards are here and they don't change. You get like the numbers every time, and that's how it should be forever.

SPEAKER_01

Exactly. I mean you you you're making literally walking machines at that point, and if you lower the standard, I believe you put countries life in jeopardy, which as like a person who wasn't born in America looking from the outside, I want America to be strong, and I want them to be the best, the best at everything they do, weapons, so on and so forth, and I I I agree with that. How did you handle a loss or a setback inside the platoon?

SPEAKER_00

Compartmentalize. Um, I'd put in this in this box, kind of compartmentalizing. I'd put it up here in the attic, and I would just be like, I'll deal with that later. And it sucks because like my best friend just died in front of me, and I like I have to be like, Am I gonna like sit here and cry about it? I'm like, I'm during I'm in the middle of training, or I'm on deployment, like I have any like lack of focus, then someone else is gonna die, especially like being a point man or you know, going through training, and maybe like I'm like like weeping that he died. My buddy uh James Derek Lovelace died in the pool next to me. Well, if I sat here and like cried about it, then I would probably be like, maybe I could die too, and I would leave. So it's like I had to deal with that that stuff like after I got out of the military, actually. And that was like hard to like take all the boxes down and like deal with my sadness and like grieving. And it was like years in the maid, it was like you simply for years. So that's how I dealt with it. Most team guys deal with it that way too.

SPEAKER_01

And was it animation? Like, can you tell us what happened?

SPEAKER_00

Um, no, this is during his buds training, and then one after, but um, we were doing this evolution called the beehive, where you have uh boots, pants, camis, and a charged mask with water. And I had a deviated septum from fighting, so I couldn't nosebreathe, or like the water was just gargling myself. And I was just like, they all the instructors jump in and they hive you guys together in the pool, like a hundred dudes, and everyone's like pulling each other down, and all the instructors are like, quit, motherfucker, and I'm like, fuck you, in my head, I didn't say that. And then I just woke up on the pool deck and they resuscitated me, and then James Derek Lovelace, I look to my right, like right where you are, and he was getting CPR and he died next to me. And I was like, What happened, dude? Like, you're awesome, you're a badass. You just drowned. I'm like, that guy was willing to die, James. That is the state that like we have to get into. And then shortly after that, my best friend uh Justin Pig shot himself in the head. Um, I think personal stuff that he was going through. And I just remember putting my kid on, I just take a ran down the beach. I don't know how long I ran for. I think I ran for like four hours and just was like thinking about him. And then we were going like on a big training trip. So I had to be like, okay, I'll have to like cover that box later. And uh yeah, for suicide for veterans or active duty, it's it's far too common and it's it sucks really bad.

SPEAKER_01

Like looking at all of that, looking at that dark side, would you or did you ever question yourself, is this system worth it?

SPEAKER_00

Yes, it's worth it. I would do it all over again, no matter what. Um people have to die in training, like once in a while, or else if no one if everyone stopped dying, not everyone, like it doesn't happen that often, but it does, then either they lower the standard or they're not pushing them to red line and past it a little bit. You have to go to red line and then like a step further to get the guys who are like on the verge of quitting or not. If you don't go to red line, then you're gonna get a bunch of people who aren't willing to die, and then someone dies overseas because they quit or something. So that's an unfortunate, but it's a nature of the beast.

SPEAKER_01

Would you say like if you reflected and did some inner work in the sense of like maybe meditation and like stuff like that, is that helpful?

SPEAKER_00

It is. Um, therapy and then talk talking to your voice helps a lot. But um, and the SEAL teams, it's like you don't talk about your feelings. You're not vulnerable, you're not gonna be like, I'm crying. It doesn't happen. The first time that I like felt all everything that was in me, I was crying on a podcast and I was like weeping, and I was talking to another team guy interviewing me, uh Mike Ritlin, and it just flowed out to me, and it was like I felt a lot better after telling somebody how I was feeling because I had never done that, and it was like just talking to another another bro helped me so much. That's why I'm smiling right now, because like just talk to someone if you're like have your mindset and you want to say it, just talk to them.

SPEAKER_01

That's that that that would be the advice you'd give people who are going through that. What was the hardest part of adjusting to civilian life?

SPEAKER_00

Man, that was uh almost almost as hard as going through SEAL training because I left early for my Yemen deployment. My sister was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, which is basically if the viewer's like you're just bleeding uncontrollably, um, your iron's super low. Um, so my dad's been like on and off of like being a drug act his whole life. And my sister got diagnosed with Crohn's disease. So before Yemen deployment in April, I had a family talk with him. He was getting pretty bad with methamphetamine use specifically. And I said, Dad, if I have to come back and like save you from your addiction and my sister, who you're like caring for, it's now me, her, and my mom living together, I'm gonna resent you forever. When a deployment, my neighbor texted me saying, My sister's texted me saying, Your dad's getting really bad. Can you come home? And I'm like, that's asking a lot for me to come home. And then I sat with it for a while, and my neighbor texts me, and he's like, I went over to your dad's house, and you found his sister uh in a pool of her own blood in the bathtub bathtub with no pulse. Um sorry to hear that. She's alive. Right, right. Um, but my dad had to carry her, like bloody daughter, to an ambulance. Right. And so I went home early and didn't tell him. And just showed up to the house, and he was on a five-day math bender talking to shadow people. And uh my sister's back in the hospital, and I moved them out to a hotel room, my mom and my sister. And I had to get out of the Navy because I'm like, my sister's dying, my dad's like about to kill us. So my gut told me like something bad is gonna happen. Went to San Diego to the Padres game, and my neighbor FaceTimes me, which he's never done. And I like look at my phone and I'm like, I just said fuck. And I click yes, and I had my house is engulfed in flames. And my dad ended up uh was inside during it. And so I had a hard transition. My dad's alive. He uh went to jail for felony arson for a bit of time. Um, so I had to leave deployment early, and now I'm a civilian in 30 days. So the transition was like, I have no job. Like my dad almost killed my mom and sister. He needs to get go to rehab, he needs to get help. My sister needs help. So that's why I got out early. Um and my transition was brutal. My purpose was gone. I had no brotherhood anymore. My family's losing it. Everyone abandoned my dad, except for me. I was like, I got your fucking back. Even like through all that. So it was hard to answer a question. It was fucking hard as shit. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Well, you got me hit me up anytime, bro. If you need to talk to someone, man. Yeah, bro. Nah, man. Like, I don't think uh like my people from my generation would have gone through that or even imagined that. Like, it's so like what people you fucking guys are crying about problems. Fuck you guys.

SPEAKER_00

Let's say that again, please.

SPEAKER_01

Especially this generation. Like, um, bro, you know, like 20-year-olds, the young 20s, and this is kind of can I say something on that topic? Go for it.

SPEAKER_00

It's like I'm not comparing like what I've been through to other people. My trauma is not different than yours. It's not greater or less. It's your trauma, it's my trauma. We need to heal from it. And then you have trauma, and then you have things you're bitching about, like my like shoes are dirty, or like the Uber's taking 10 more minutes, and like, shut the fuck up. Smack you in your mouth. Like, you guys need to grab your nutsack, go lift weights, be a man, protector, and provider, and quit bitching. Stop bitching.

SPEAKER_01

So yeah, someone needs to like, you know, one's like telling them, and one, like, if you have a I don't know if you had an older brother, but I had an older brother, and when I used to bitch and moan and cry a lot, like just for out of no reason as a kid, everyone does. Like he just picked me up and string him and gifts the balls and motherfucker, like what the fuck? Shut the shut the fuck. And then I'm like, okay, then that kind of set me. And I think like some men, when shit hits the fan and they are completely that they need to be in check. Someone needs to be not like that, but you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah, mentorship. Like, hey, sit the fuck down. Like, what are your problems? And then I try to give people perspective. So, like, your life's bad, you keep complaining. Did you know that this happened and this happened, and like the people are doing through this? Like, cancer patients, you're like on deathbed and you're complaining about this. And I'm like, just think about that. You know, change your mindset a little bit.

SPEAKER_01

Wow, uh, that was that was really heavy. So we're gonna go on to little lighter things, you know. But uh, appreciate you for sharing that because I mean you also need a lot of courage to bring that out of yourself because as you said, attic, everyone has that. Dark closet, you know, ghosts in the closets, and we we never we never dressed those, we we just think life's fine, and we keep going on and on, and then slowly that closet gets keeps keeps on stinking, and then someday comes out and it pours out worse than ever, you know.

SPEAKER_00

Or you put too many boxes up there and your attic's full, and then you don't deal with it, and then it comes shattering on you, and like you need to deal with them, or else like you're gonna blow up so bad that something bad is gonna happen, like really bad. So walk us through what does your morning routine look like? Um, so I teach at our um the DSG training center in Beverly Hills, and I teach 7 a.m. jujitsu, 8 a.m. striking. So I'm up at like 5:30 or so, have coffee, ever um read like a daily like Bible prayer app. Um I like to listen to music on the way there. I try to stay off social media for like the first couple hours of the day and just be like, what am I teaching the guys today or gals? Um, like giving back like everything I've learned in a purposeful way. Like, I'm not showing up to the class and be like, oh, we'll just do this today. I'm like, what does um like Alex need to work on? What does Andrew need to work on? Like, I'm gonna cater specifically to them, to what they're trying to get better at. And I find like great like joy in like transferring my knowledge to them for them to be better protectors, better providers, better husbands, sons, girlfriends, you know, anyone who's there. Um, and then I'll get my workout in after, and then that's like the first like before noon, that's what I do. Awesome.

SPEAKER_01

Would you say your training is harder compared to back in the day when you went Navy SEAL?

SPEAKER_00

Um but training like MMA training?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, MMA training. Because and you've been like like workouts, life, so on and so forth.

SPEAKER_00

Um, no, it's not hard. It's I worked out not harder there, it's just different. It was like putting on a bunch of kit and like machine gun with radios and a rucksack and like humping a miles or in like the desert. Now it's like lift heavy weights for an hour or like go for a run, or it's for me it's do a lot of jujitsu rounds. So I wouldn't say it's easier or harder, it's just it's just different. Yeah. But I'm still I'm still getting to the place where I'm like I'm physically exhausted, mentally exhausted, because there's no other way to do it. Yeah, like car workouts. Right.

SPEAKER_01

Is is that what also helps sleep, like have a good sleep at nighttime too, like completely physical exhaustion?

SPEAKER_00

Yes, for me, it's um my mental exhaustion. My body could be just swiped, but my mind is like always going. So I have to, I'm I'm still learning how to quiet the mind down a little bit. Um, like get off blue light, what stop watching TV a bit before, cut off caffeine before like four or five p.m. And like having a slow like taper down to bedtime. But before it was like I'm like sitting in bed trying to sleep at 3 a.m. I'm like, fuck.

SPEAKER_01

What what habits do you think from Navy SEAL still serve you?

SPEAKER_00

Um, just suffer. Suffer daily. And that word could mean different things. It's just put yourself through the grind every day, regardless of what your grind is. If it's an entrepreneur or like a gym owner, you need to like have goals every day. Your days you shouldn't be like, I accomplished all my goals. Like, you should have a plate stack of goals every day that you never finish. Because if you have more goals in life, what are we doing here? There's always something to achieve.

SPEAKER_01

Would you say that's a bit of a force perspective? Because there are two sorts of people, maybe more, but like two in that I see. It's either you in the flow state, like when you let's say MMA training and you're you shadow boxing and stuff. There's a flow state you get into that everything happens so naturally, you're not exhausted, breathing's on point, everything's quick, you know, you're snapping back, so on and so forth, and then the other states, forced state, where you're pushing and you're like and you're like making extra noise. What state would you say you would prefer in life? As in, oh okay, this is what gets things done, and this is if you have it, maybe once in a blue moon, take it as God's blessing or take it as a gift.

SPEAKER_00

I think excuse me. To get to a flow state, you're you've like mastered your craft, or you're like in the process of mastering it. When I'm doing jujitsu, like competition, my mind is like it is silent. It's like one of the only places on the maths competition where I don't think about what move I'm doing. I'll hit like guillotine or a submission I've never even practiced. It's just um because I'm master at jujitsu. Um maybe like if I was doing like judo or something, I'm not a master at judo, so I'm like grinding the grind of repetitions. But when you're like master to craft like shooting, I just I'm not thinking about anything. I'm just like I do this every day, all day. And I'm just like a flow state, and it's nice. You're just like groovy, and you're not like barking and like being cocky, you're just like silent killer, just chilling.

SPEAKER_01

That's what that's what I was gonna get at too. Like, are there any lessons from combat that you apply daily?

SPEAKER_00

Um I would say like situational awareness is huge, especially in Los Angeles. I mean, just in life in general. I'm not paranoid, like looking at everyone, but I'm aware of that there's evil people, that there's um people I want to do harm to others, or like I may have pissed someone off like overseas, and like there are people here. I just have the means to like defend myself and my family and loved ones. Um so situational awareness is like the biggest thing.

SPEAKER_01

What's that one mental skill you love to give out to the people, civilians, from team seals?

SPEAKER_00

It's discipline, not only physically, but mentally. Um I'm not a special person. I wasn't bored, born like Captain America. I'm like you for sure looked the part. Yeah. Thank you. Um I basically like it's just day in, day out discipline. The workouts that you don't want to do are the workouts to do. And you may overtrain yourself, but we're not overtraining your body is good, like David Goggins. You're callousing your mind. So, like, should I run today? Probably not. My like, I have no my knees are shot or my I have splint like like shin splints. But if I push like during this workout and do it anyway, you like I reach a new level of mental toughness. It's that's bizarre. Like your body's telling you, what the fuck are you doing? And you do it anyway, your body can handle so much, and then you reach that new level of like, I just ran 50 miles with like a fucked up knees. Cool. Like, can I deal with another five? And you do it again, and you're like, oh shit, I thought I was done. And you just reach these new levels.

SPEAKER_01

That's what makes you question sometimes, is it even real? Like my mind, what it's telling me, should I listen? Like, if I listen to it, then okay, then I consider it as real. But if it's not, then just keep going, keep going, keep going.

SPEAKER_00

That's a really important thing you just said, is that's that's I tell people all the time, is our mind is our job is to keep our like our body's job is to keep um ourselves alive. Like our mind says, this water's freezing, leave, or you'll get hypothermia, but it doesn't know like when you're gonna die. It's like 10% in. You're like, this is freezing, or I'm working out so hard, I can probably gonna pass out and die. But no, it's just your body wants comfortability, it doesn't want pain, but you're not gonna get mental toughness if you don't have pain or grueling or suffering. You're most likely not gonna die. Like, how many people die from workouts? I don't I can't even name one off the top of my head. It's just like your body is so fucking capable of extreme is extreme torment. You know?

SPEAKER_01

How many miles did you run in a day? Like the most?

SPEAKER_00

Um, I would say it wasn't the amount of miles, it was what I was wearing. It was like night vision goggles, helmet. I was wearing 100 pounds of gear, and we were doing a ruck march, a ruck run. How much do you wear right now? 14 miles. Uh 180 right now. Okay. I was 160 then. So it's 260 pounds on a 160 gun.

SPEAKER_01

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

And it was um running 14 miles. It was a test, a tested run. And you do it a certain amount of time, and it was 110 degrees outside. So that was like it was uh not that long, 14 miles, but it was horrifically grilling.

SPEAKER_01

I mean, you just bump the intensity up, it's kind of the same.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

It's like would you do like a five-pound dumbbell a thousand times, or would you go for a hundred pound for like 10? Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00

You're reaching failure either way, reaching fatigue either way. Just think one takes longer, one's shorter. One's shorter.

SPEAKER_01

So we'll we'll go into a little rapid fire round, and it's maybe I'll give you like two choices, you just got to pick one, whatever resonates with you. So would you prefer coffee, pre-workout, or nothing before training?

SPEAKER_00

You're gonna do this to me right now? Before training? Yeah. Coffee. Yeah, what'd say in the past it was pre-workout, but coffee now.

SPEAKER_01

So most guys in military go for pre-workouts.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

It doesn't even crash. I think that's a good wise choice to do the two.

SPEAKER_00

We should just dry skip too.

SPEAKER_01

Uh just powder, the OG way. Yeah, that's what it is. Would you prefer morning training or night training?

SPEAKER_00

Um, I'm a night training type of guy.

SPEAKER_01

I don't know why I I I got that feeling from you. Like morning, just a guess. But why is that? Why night?

SPEAKER_00

I think because growing up, I was always lifting after school. After wrestling, it was like 7 p.m. And like that was like my routine. And yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Favorite weapon system you have ever used?

SPEAKER_00

Um the Mark 13 300 wind mag sniper rifle. Yeah. Big round, very accurate, nice scope.

SPEAKER_01

If you had to put a price on that.

SPEAKER_00

How much is it? How much is it? This the scope by itself is $5,000. And then you put on like a thermal, the thermal we were using was $65,000. And then you have um the rifle itself was like another five thousand. Okay.

SPEAKER_01

So like at least about $80,000 of gear. Like just a gun.

SPEAKER_00

Just a gun, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

How much would you say your whole gear costs as a point, man? Oh man.

SPEAKER_00

Everything in total, I would say like yeah, like $150,000 between like an M4 with all the attached attachments that are expensive. The thermal on the sniper is $65,000 by itself. Body armor, you know, magazines, ammo, the helmet, night vision goggles, night visions, $14,000. It adds up quick. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

So what's the point of what's the purpose of thermal vision?

SPEAKER_00

Um, thermal is like, so you have infrared, so if it's like the sun's down, I can see people that they can't see me. Thermal is like, I'm gonna heat signatures and like outlines of people. Um, so I could see people really far away that I can't see under night vision, but I could see their body signature, their heat. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Favorite quote or motto that you live by?

SPEAKER_00

Nobody's coming to save you. You have to learn how to save yourself. And I'm not sure who said it or if anybody said it at all. Either I was thinking of it, or maybe I mashed two quotes together, but I bet that's my motto is like, and us at Defense Strategy script is no one's coming to save you. You have to learn how to save yourself. Like, you have a problem, like, no one's gonna come be able to fix all your problems for you. You have to like deal with the shit on your own, ask for help. Like, you're like you're your own savior, you know. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

That's that that's deep.

SPEAKER_00

And have another one. Go for it. I think Fernando Fauci is his name. I might be paraphrasing, but the most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul set on fire.

SPEAKER_01

Wow. Wait. Oh.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Okay. The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul set on fire. You could accomplish anything. You're set on fire, your soul set on fire. That's the most powerful weapon in the world.

SPEAKER_01

Wow, I might steal that one. Yeah, I might steal that one. I didn't fit. Might steal that one, for sure. One day from your seal career, you live again.

SPEAKER_00

One day I would live again. Or maybe one phase. Um, I would say finishing Hell Week when we secured Hell Week, and we saw the instructors with the American flag saying Hell Week secured, looking around at all the boys like these guys are what SEALs are. Unbreakable, crazy, psychotic people that like want to do good. I love that.

SPEAKER_01

And what what's the piece of advice you'd give to a young 20-year-old watching this wants to be the next SEAL?

SPEAKER_00

Make sure you know why you're doing it. What's your why behind it? Um if it's self-induced, like selfish, you're going to quit. It has to be bigger than yourself. Like, I don't want to be an I didn't want to be a name seal for me to be like, yeah, look at me. It's more of like, I want to protect the people I love. So have a why and then like drive it in your skull on like be a protector and be with a brotherhood and like contribute to the brotherhood. Yeah. Wow.

SPEAKER_01

Why do you think a man performs better in the circumstances when he knows something else, something bigger, is on the line than himself, and then the whole aura changes?

SPEAKER_00

Um good question. Greater love has no one than this than you give his life for his friends. John 15, 13. It's in the Bible. So that was like my main verse growing up, and still is. When you like really feel in your heart and soul, like your life is more important than mine. It's it's different than like I'm selfish, self-centered, like self-goals. All my goals I have are for others to teach other people what I've learned. And it's very fulfilling. And you're like, I don't want to let them down.

SPEAKER_01

What do you want people to take away from your story?

SPEAKER_00

That I'm just a normal dude that just refused to quit. You can endure anything in your life. Hardship, trauma, loss. Um the earth's gonna beat you down. Like the planet's gonna beat you to your knees to see if you quit. And most people fold like a lawn chair. I'm only like here today is just because I didn't quit. Like I wasn't born like you know, I wasn't born anything special. Just don't quit. Have like an unbreakable mindset.

SPEAKER_01

And do you think it's either you're something born with or you can also build it?

SPEAKER_00

You can build it. Like I was probably born in this world like a little crazy in the head. Um, but it was just years of discipline. It was working out, it was helping other people, like having a routine every day since I was three. I've been in sports since I was three, and delayed did two days until present day. Build discipline. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

What's next for you in terms of goals, training, projects?

SPEAKER_00

Um, so right now, Defender Strategy Group, we're taking what we've learned. Into the military and giving it to civilians. So it could be a soccer mom, a single soccer mom who lives in Los Angeles, who just got like, you know, our purse stolen. Like, okay, like, how do you defend your kids? Well, there's an ultimate equalizer, which is a gun. Okay, your concealed carry license. Get some training on how to protect your like family and friends and your like your home. Or if it's a father figure, then your job is to literally, nobody's gonna touch my family. If they do, then I have the right to defend themselves, and you have all the tools necessary, whether it's your hands or weapons tools. We're not going out and shooting people, we're literally just protecting our tribe. So my goal is and it's fulfilled every day, is teaching people martial arts. And lately it's been kids' class teaching kids jujitsu and watching like their confidence grow. They're being bullied at school. Now they're walking a little straighter, a little postures better. They're smiling, they're not like sad. They have like confidence that grows every day. It's it's very fulfilling to watch. That's my purpose, is to give back, share my story, give perspective on what I've been through. Maybe like they're not alone in this fight. People watching, like I've been through some stuff, so have you? Um, you can get through it. Don't quit and keep serving other people, be of service to others every day. Awesome.

SPEAKER_01

Well, where can people find you or train with you?

SPEAKER_00

Um, so Instagram at Zach Ferg Z A C K K F-E-R-G, and then Defense Strategies Group is me and Michael Dowd's company, um, Defense Strategies.us Um You can come book some training, private training, public courses, or our gym in Beverly Hills DSG Training Center. Come take a jujitsu class, kids class, and come train with us.

SPEAKER_01

Awesome. And what's that one question that you wish people would ask you and they haven't yet? Are you okay? Whoa, that's that's a that's such a simple question, and yeah, people I you're right, you're right. Bro, okay, I'll tell I'll tell you from a civilian point point of view, like you're like tough motherfucker seal, this, this, this. You're still a human. Yeah. Still have a heart. Are you okay?

SPEAKER_00

Um, I'm getting okay. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Like if if you had to put a put a like the the the rate you're working on your in a journey and and on yourself and coming back to civilian life, how long would you would you think it would take you to like to at least be close to normal?

SPEAKER_00

I would say in the next year. And I've been out for four years.

unknown

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

So it's it's been a a journey to get to like about to be okay, getting to okay. Yeah. Just from everything piling on and dealing with a bunch of stuff. Um, there was a lot of times around like the bottom pit. And I'm like, that's my job. I should have been like, I need help, guys. I think that's why I'm so vulnerable and tell my story, but when someone asks am I okay, I'm like, no one asks me. Very few. And then I open up like, actually, I'm not. Or actually, maybe I just turtle up and say, Yeah, I'm fine when I'm not fine. Right.

SPEAKER_01

I mean, as that's what we're told to say. Don't express any emotions, keep it to yourself. And once you finally build, let's say, you had a brotherhood back in the seal, you can open up to them and they're you're fine. You're like, all right, you'll troll me, you'll call me a bitch, whatever, I'll take that. But now you're out finding trying to build that brotherhood. That it's it can be a hard transition. I'd love to know what do you think, or what advice or suggestions you would give out to the system to do more for people like you who come out in the military, team SEALs, like what initiative or actions that could be taken for improved mental health?

SPEAKER_00

I think like some sort of like brotherhood, like the SEAL Future Foundation, um, like we get SEALs together, veterans are active duty, and this they come and hang out together. Because some guys don't have the brotherhood anymore. Say they're a civilian. We throw events all the time, and everyone just gets together. And like I said before, just talking to people who like think like you do, it helps a lot. So just talking to people, because when you're isolated alone, it's scary, it's dark, it's not fun, you're like in the deep depths of hell. Um, so like foundations like that is a really good avenue for people to but that like the system should like push that more, I think, or give uh more awareness to it. Yeah. Last question.

SPEAKER_01

If this was your last interview ever and you had 60 seconds to leave a message for the world, what would you say and why?

SPEAKER_00

Be grateful um for everything in your life, everyone in your life. Every person that you come across you can learn from, good or bad. You can learn from anyone in like the grocery store or on deployment. Um be humble. Ask for help, help others. Um give perspective. Don't be afraid to share your story, to open up to someone. Don't bottle it in and drown yourself like I used to. Um take the big leap of faith. When something seems scary, but you want to do it, literally rip your shit off and jump into that deep end. Like that's where goals and dreams transpire is jumping into the darkness of the unknown. If your dreams scare you good, that's that means they're big. Jump into that. Fucking get some.

SPEAKER_01

It's awesome. Thank you so much for coming on this pod, Zach. I appreciate coming out. I think people needed to hear the story, and I believe the the path you're headed to is awesome. And I I I'd really vouch for people to have you on their shows and do seminars and like talk about mental health, talk about motivation, more importantly, discipline that you can apply into your lives, and I believe that today's world needs it more than ever before. Absolutely. So thank you guys for watching this podcast. Please go down and check out Zach's social. Find him, drop him a follow, and yeah, help your boy out too. You know, we're putting him. This is probably the nicest studio I've ever rented out in LA, and um I'm I'm happy with this investment. But other than that, go like, comment, share this video, and leave your life. Take care.

SPEAKER_00

Thank you so much.